Legislative Bulletin: Legislature Advances Priority Bills Amidst Final Budget Negotiations

April 12, 2024

State Passes Fourth Budget Extender as Negotiations Continue

This week, the State approved two budget extenders to facilitate ongoing budget negotiations between the Governor and the Legislature. One was approved at the beginning of the week to fund essential state operations through April 11^th, and another was approved and signed by the governor today, allowing State budget work to continue through the weekend until April 15^th. The budget extender approved today is the fourth extension of the month.

In a press conference earlier this week, Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins indicated that budget talks were at the “beginning of the end” but based on the pace of extenders and more in-depth discussions, it seems that the process will continue for at least another week or so.

It has been reported that housing tenant protections are one of the issue areas that are contributing to the delayed budget. Additionally, conversations around the executive’s proposals on Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Program, or CDPAP, appear to be heating up; generating media coverage and strong advocacy efforts from stakeholders.

Although we are still days or weeks away from a final agreement, LeadingAge New York will continue to keep members apprised of state budget developments and advocacy action needed. With budget work extending again into next week, it is certain that we will need you to help us keep the pressure on legislators and the governor! Stay tuned for more next week.

 

Keep Making Noise on Social Media!

As State Budget negotiations extend into mid-April, it is critical that we leverage the power of social media to maintain pressure on legislators and the governor, urging them to prioritize the care of older adults in the final budget! With the use of social media advocacy, we have the power to influence state funding decisions and secure INVESTMENTS in LTC, rather than CUTS.

To make it easy for members to post on Facebook, LeadingAge NY has crafted the below messages which members can easily copy and paste into the platform. Copy and paste any of the below messages into your Facebook and attach our recommended video/graphic. At this stage, messages target the leadership of the Senate and the Assembly. Please make sure that your post tags the legislators' social media ‘handles’ – the names should light up in blue when they are effectively tagged in the post. If you re-purpose for Twitter/X, please take care to update the legislators' tags (@). If you would like to ALSO tag your state legislators, you are welcome to do so!

• Nursing Homes – Post this photo or this video along with the below social media message:

🚨 URGENT: NY STATE BUDGET MUST PRIORITIZE OLDER ADULTS! 🚨

The NYS budget is over 15 years past-due on providing nursing home Medicaid funding that matches the cost of care. There is a $1.6 billion Medicaid funding gap for nursing home care in NY. Poor Medicaid reimbursement directly impacts homes’ ability to recruit & retain staff – and directly impacts access to quality care for our loved ones.

New York’s older adults and families deserve better. It’s time for New York to PRIORITIZE the care of older adults in the Final State Budget! @Governor Kathy Hochul, @Andrea Stewart-Cousins & @Carl E. Heastie, please provide a 10.5% INCREASE to nursing home Medicaid rates and require that reimbursement be updated at least every 5 yrs! #NursingHomeSOS #NYHealthBudgetGap

• Assisted Living Programs – Post this graphic along with the below social media message:

Every New Yorker deserves access to quality care that meets their needs, including our older adults!  It’s time for NY Medicaid rates to reflect the current costs of providing care in assisted living programs. @Governor Kathy Hochul, @Andrea Stewart-Cousins & @Carl E. Heastie – please ensure older adults have access to assisted living programs in their communities! Please INVEST in the ALP in the final budget! #SupportOurSeniors #NYHealthBudgetGap

• Home and Community-Based Services – Post this graphic along with the below social media message:

Access to home care & community-based services is essential for older adults as they age and their needs change. But Certified Home Health Agencies (CHHAs) and hospices are having a hard time admitting new patients due to lack of funding necessary for staff and resources. This creates system backups, and access to care challenges throughout the health care continuum. @Governor Kathy Hochul, @Andrea Stewart-Cousins & @Carl E. Heastie, please fund home & community-based services and invest $35M in the Final Budget to address the home health and hospice workforce/access crisis! #SupportOurSeniors

• Adult Day Health Care – Post this graphic along with the below social media message:

In 2020, all 116 adult day health care (ADHC) programs had to close due to the pandemic. Since then, only 55 have reopened, limiting access to this desirable model of care! ADHC offers care for older adults in a community setting, while allowing people to remain living at home with loved ones. @Governor Kathy Hochul, @Andrea Stewart-Cousins & @Carl E. Heastie, please prioritize the care of older adults & include Medicaid increases for ADHC in the final budget! #SupportOurSeniors

• Managed Long-Term Care – Post this graphic along with the below social media message:

Support for LTC, #agingservices, & the system that cares for older adults is a reflection of our values. @Governor Kathy Hochul, @Andrea Stewart-Cousins & @Carl E. Heastie, NY must commit to supporting specialized provider-sponsored managed long term care plans that can care for people best as they age & needs change. #SupportOurSeniors  

In addition to the above draft messages, LeadingAge NY has created a Social Media Toolkit, offering a suite of pre-written social media messages and graphics. Please continue to amplify these messages throughout the next few days/weeks, until we see a final budget agreement!

 

Keep Up the Pressure! Send Budget Advocacy Letters TODAY!

As New York State Budget negotiations extend well into April, we need to maintain our advocacy momentum and keep the funding needs of long-term care and aging services providers top-of-mind. We have spoken with several legislative offices this week, all of whom said that your advocacy is making a difference, but that we need to keep up the pressure and keep making noise!

 Please send a message to your legislators and the governor TODAY!

• Nursing Home Budget Letters – several letters available for family members, staff, residents, etc.
• Authorize Nursing Home Medication Aides
• Adult Care Facilities/Assisted Living Budget Letter
• Home & Community-Based Services Budget Letter
•  Adult Day Health Care Budget Letter

Share Flyers with Your Network of Advocates!

To help drive traffic to these digital letters and expand our network of advocates, LeadingAge NY has created flyers that can be printed or shared electronically with your workforce, families, and community members. Flyers are linked below for member usage:

• Medication Aides in Nursing Homes Advocacy Flyer – NEW; please share with staff & board members
• Workforce Advocacy Flyer –  please share with staff teams
• Family Advocacy Flyer – please share with families
• General Constituent Advocacy Flyer - please share with volunteers/community members

 

Psychotropic Medication Informed Consent Bill Advances to Assembly Floor  

This week, a bill that LeadingAge New York opposes moved out of the Assembly Codes Committee and onto the Assembly Floor. Bill A.7467 (Paulin)/S.466 (Sepulveda) would require an enhanced level of informed consent before psychotropic medications can be prescribed for residents of skilled nursing facilities (SNFs) or adult care facilities (ACFs). The legislation makes two major changes in an effort to reduce the use of psychotropic medications:

1. Requires health care professionals to receive written consent from the resident or the resident’s "lawful representative" before ordering or increasing the order of any psychotropic medication; and
2. Limits all orders for psychotropic medications to 14 days.

The legislation could create care challenges for certain residents of SNFs and ACFs who require consistent, undisrupted, medications such as anti-depressants, and aims to address issues that are largely already taken care of by federal SNF regulations. LeadingAge NY's memo of opposition here.

Although the bill has been advanced out of the Assembly Codes Committee and onto the Assembly Floor, it has not yet been called up for a vote. Further, earlier this year we mobilized LeadingAge NY membership to vocalize your opposition to the measure, and the attention you brought to this bill has contributed to an ongoing conversation between LeadingAge NY and the Assembly bill sponsor. We are hopeful that with your advocacy, we can prevent any unnecessary, duplicative, and/or care-compromising measures from being passed in the Assembly. 

Members can vocalize their opposition to this bill by clicking HERE to send an email to legislators!

Contact: Sarah Daly; 518.867.8845; sdaly@leadingageny.org